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MADRID — When Toni Kroos arrived for his first training session with Real Madrid in 2014, he went the wrong way. 

Walking out onto the pitch at the club’s sprawling Valdebebas training ground, Kroos saw two circles of players kicking the ball between them and jogged over to the one on the left. 

In his mind, that circle had fewer players in it. It was logical to bolster the numbers. But generally, the left circle is for the club’s Spanish players, the right for foreigners. 

Nobody minded, some thinking Kroos was looking to assert himself or perhaps just was not aware of the code. The truth was Kroos knew the code but in that moment it made no sense to him. 

For a club like Madrid, arguably the biggest in the world, where the fans are among the most demanding and the attention and pressure on players is almost certainly the most heated, Kroos has continued to stand out as a figure of cold, clear thinking. 

The esteem in which he is now held at the Santiago Bernabeu, or more recently the Alfredo di Stefano, was certainly not automatic. 

The same suspicions that hung over him at Bayern Munich endured, that here was a midfielder with no major flaws but no obvious strengths, neither destroyer nor creator, hard to define and, at first, difficult to admire. 

In Germany, there had been a deeper mistrust of character too, that Kroos’ lack of outward emotion stemmed from a lack of fortitude, an accusation regularly levelled at the generation that later went on to win the 2014 World Cup. 

It remains the case that while Kroos’ standing in the world’s most successful midfield trio is unquestioned, he rarely enjoys the kind of praise aimed at the likes of Karim Benzema, Sergio Ramos, Casemiro or Luka Modric. 

Modric and Casemiro have perhaps even contributed to Kroos’ devaluation, Modric the featherweight playmaker and Casemiro the Brazilian wrecking-ball, each of them easier to quantify than the surgical German next to them. 

Inside the club, attitudes are more emphatic. “Toni is incredible, a legend of the club. Whenever he goes out on the pitch he goes out with class. Nobody can play like him,” said Vinicius Junior last week.

“If Toni wants the team to slow down it slows down, if he wants to speed it up it speeds up,” said Casemiro. “Toni decides.”

For coach Zinedine Zidane, he is an instant pick for the team’s biggest games. “He has this authority,” Zidane said last year. “He doesn’t talk a lot, he’s a quiet and reserved guy. He expresses himself on the pitch.” 

Madrid president Florentino Perez handed Kroos a four-year deal in 2019, a show of faith given he had just turned 29 and was at the end of what had been a disappointing year for the side. 

And while Manchester United almost signed him in 2014, Kroos now hopes to retire where he is. “The idea is to end my career at Real Madrid,” he said. 

Yet, externally there is still a sense that Germany’s most successful ever player flies under the radar. 

It took two laser passes last week, that caused havoc in Liverpool’s defence, and a free-kick on Saturday, the winner against Barcelona, for Kroos’ talents to be thrust back into the limelight. 

Those assists in the 3-1 win over the English club have put Madrid in sight of the Champions League semifinals, a job they hope to finish on Wednesday in the second leg, against an unsure opponent inside an empty Anfield. 

Kroos’ free-kick has made Madrid favourites to win La Liga too, even if the stumbling Atletico Madrid still have one point left of what in February was a 10-point lead. 

It raises the prospect of a Spanish-European double, which seemed unthinkable a few weeks ago, but suddenly feels possible given Madrid’s tendency to accelerate down the final straight.

As the season reaches its climax, this is a team that has found a confidence in adversity and a calmness under pressure. They begin to think like Kroos.

In need of another famous Champions League fightback, Liverpool cannot rely on a wave of passion, colour and noise from the stands at Anfield to inspire a comeback from 3-1 down against Real Madrid.

If the English champions are to reach the semi-finals for the third time in four years, they will instead need their manager Jurgen Klopp to conjure the motivation and tactical masterplan to once again eliminate one of Spanish football’s giants.

AMMAN — Wihdat kick off their participation in the continents’ leading competition — the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League — when they play Saudi Arabia’s Nassr on Wednesday in their first Group D match in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Jordan Professional Football League (Pro League) champions Wihdat will be the first of the Kingdom’s teams to play in the round robin group stages of the AFC Champions League, where they are scheduled to play in a tough group that includes two time champs Qatar’s Sadd and Iran’s Foulad from April 14-29 before group leaders and top three second place finishers move on to the knockout stage.

Jordanian teams have never before made it past the AFC Champions League preliminary round where Faisali played in 2020 and 2018, Wihdat in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019, while Shabab Urdun played in 2014.

Mired with financial difficulties like most clubs, and unable to undergo a training camp in preparation, Wihdat’s head coach and former star Abdullah Abu Zam’eh did not underestimate his team’s resolve. The team has an uphill battle against better-prepared Asian sides with technical, financial and competitive prowess. 

This week, Wihdat beat Jazira to win the Jordan Super Cup a week after they earlier lost to newcomers Jalil in the Jordan Football Association (JFA) Shield final. Last season, Wihdat won their 17th Pro League crown and 10th JFA Shield title while Faisali overcame Jazira to win their 17th Jordan Super Cup. The Jordan Cup was not held.

The 2021 AFC Champions League is the 40th edition of Asia’s premier club football tournament organised by the AFC, and the 19th under the current AFC Champions League title. The current edition is the first to involve 40 teams during the group stage, up from the previous 32 teams. The winners of the tournament will automatically qualify for the 2022 AFC Champions League as well as the 2021 FIFA Club World Cup in Japan.

The most successful clubs in the competition are Saudi Arabia’s Hilal and South Korea’s Pohang Steelers with a total of three titles each. The reigning champions are South Korea’s Ulsan Hyundai, who won the competition for the second time in 2020.

The second tier Asian competition — the AFC Cup — will see Jordan represented by Faisali and Salt. In 2020, Faisali played alongside Jazira, however, the tournament was later scrapped with the COVID-19 pandemic halting regional and international sporting agendas. 

Faisali won the AFC Cup title in 2005 and 2006 and Shabab Urdun in 2007. Other Jordanian teams participating in previous editions include Wihdat, Ramtha, Hussein, That Ras and Ahli. 

Arab clubs winning AFC Champions League

2019Hilal (Saudi Arabia)

2011Sadd (Qatar)

2005Ittihad (Saudi Arabia)

2004Ittihad (Saudi Arabia)

2003Al Ain (UAE)

2000Hilal (Saudi Arabia)

1992Hilal (Saudi Arabia)

1989Sadd (Qatar)

LONDON — Harshly derided as a “teacher’s pet” earlier this season, Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount heads into Tuesday’s Champions League showdown against Porto firmly established as Thomas Tuchel’s star pupil.

Despite an impressive rise to prominence over the last 18 months, Mount has had to endure jibes from critics who claimed he was only given a chance because he was a favourite of Frank Lampard.

Mount played for Lampard on loan at Derby in the 2018-19 campaign and was given his Premier League debut under Lampard once he took over at Chelsea the following season.

With Lampard forced to rely on Chelsea’s academy prospects due to a transfer ban, Mount was rarely left out by a manager who appreciated a focused approach that belied his tender age.

The 22-year-old’s energetic, impactful performances soon earned him a regular place in Gareth Southgate’s England team as well.

It was Southgate’s selection of Mount instead of the more flamboyant Aston Villa midfielder Jack Grealish that especially infuriated the Chelsea star’s doubters.

Suddenly forced to defend himself against social media claims he was a “teacher’s pet”, Mount handled the ludicrous criticism with dignity.

Lampard held Mount in such high esteem that he made him the youngest player to captain Chelsea since John Terry when he skippered the Blues against Luton in the FA Cup in January.

Ironically that proved to be Lampard’s last game in charge as Tuchel replaced the sacked Chelsea legend just days later.

Mount had started the previous 10 games, so when Tuchel left him on the bench for his first match against Wolves, it was interpreted as a sign the German would end the perceived favouritism.

‘Right mentality’

However, that first impression was deceiving and Tuchel has come to rely on Mount, who is flourishing under the former Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain boss.

Mount’s importance to Chelsea was underlined by his superb finish in last week’s 2-0 Champions League quarter-final first leg against Porto.

When he was rested for the recent Premier League clash against West Bromwich Albion, Chelsea lacked his drive and were thrashed 5-2 in the first defeat of Tuchel’s reign.

Mount’s next chance to take centre stage comes in the return meeting with Porto as Chelsea look to reach the Champions League semi-finals for the first time since 2014.

Tuchel acknowledged Mount’s growing value to a team hoping to finish in the Premier League’s top four and win the Champions League and FA Cup this season.

“The finish was clinical, it was excellent from Mason. He has the quality to do this, and in a quarter-final it is a big step for him and a big help for the team,” Tuchel said.

“Mason has the right mentality and the right attitude towards training and games. And he has the right attitude towards success. He’s got both feet on the ground, and he’s open enough and hungry to learn.

“It’s very difficult for me to compare him to different players in different positions, and different players in the same position from different clubs. But Mason is a very important player for us. A key player for us.”

Mount now has eight goals and five assists this season and is the youngest Chelsea player ever to score in a Champions League knockout match.

Encouragingly for Tuchel, Mount knows he still has plenty of room for improvement. 

“I’m always working on my finishing. I don’t think you can work on it enough,” he said. 

“In training, I’m trying to shoot as much as I can because that’s always a part of my game where I can improve on and score more goals.”

MADRID — Real Madrid climbed to the top of La Liga on Saturday after Karim Benzema’s flicked finish helped them claim a thrilling 2-1 victory over Barcelona in a wild Clasico at Valdebebas. 

Benzema’s superb piece of skill and a deflected Toni Kroos free-kick put Madrid in charge and while Oscar Mingueza pulled one back for Barca, they fell to defeat in what could be Lionel Messi’s final appearance in this fixture.

Victory means Real Madrid go level on points with Atletico, with the top three now separated by a single point. 

Real Madrid now own the better head-to-head against both of their rivals, while Barcelona and Atletico still have to play each other at Camp Nou in the run-in.

With Atletico stumbling and both Barca and Real Madrid hitting their stride, this game looked set to define, if not the title, then who would become favourites to be crowned champions in May. 

The result was a riveting contest at a rain-soaked Alfredo di Stefano Stadium — certainly one of the most exciting Clasicos in years — that saw both teams squander numerous chances, several efforts come back off the woodwork and Casemiro sent off in extra time. 

With the last play of the game, Barcelona substitute Ilaix Moriba rattled Real Madrid’s crossbar.

“We’re still in it,” said Barca coach Ronald Koeman. 

“We’ve lost a game against a team who is also fighting for the league but we have eight game left and we will fight to the end.”

Casemiro’s red card had also given Messi a free-kick and the chance for a dramatic equaliser but instead the Argentinian made it seven games now without a goal against Real Madrid, with many wondering if his 45th Clasico will be his last. 

Messi might yet turn the tide in the eight games still remaining but there is no doubt Madrid are in the groove after backing up beating Liverpool 3-1 on Tuesday with another crucial victory.

They can finish the job in the Champions League at Anfield next week although Zinedine Zidane admitted afterwards his players are “physically at their limit”. 

“It was a difficult game, the first half was ours, but we suffered in the second,” said Zidane. “We deserved the victory, because we had a lot of chances to score the third.”

A breathless first half began with chances for both sides as Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s sloppy clearance almost gave Benzema a clear run at goal before Messi slipped in Jordi Alba but the cross was intercepted by Thibaut Courtois. 

Real Madrid’s opener came after a superb counter-attack from Barcelona, Messi going down too easily on the edge of the area, with Madrid pouring forward on the break. 

Fede Valverde powered through midfield and fed wide to Lucas Vazquez, whose cross was expertly flicked inside the near post by Benzema. 

The goal shook Barca, who were unable to restrain the speed of Madrid and particularly Vinicius Junior on the break. 

Vinicius was brought down by Ronald Araujo on the edge of the area and Kroos’ free-kick cannoned off the back off Sergino Dest and in, evading the efforts of Alba to head away on the line. 

Valverde and Messi both struck the post before half-time, Valverde after another scintillating Madrid counter-attack and Messi from a corner, with Courtois beaten. 

Koeman brought Antoine Griezmann on for Dest but as the rain poured down, Madrid poured forward. Kroos and Benzema both could have scored a third and they were punished for failing to capitalise. 

Griezmann jumped over Alba’s cross and as the ball skidded through, Mingueza did well to shin it into the net. 

Araujo deflected Vinicius’ cross onto his own post and Alba was denied by Courtois. Again, Madrid tore away, again they missed the chance, Vinicius running onto Luka Modric’s pass but opting not to shoot, allowing Araujo to clear. 

With 20 minutes left, Zidane took off Benzema, Vinicius and Kroos. 

Referee Gil Manzano had to replace his equipment because of the rain. Messi changed his shirt for a dry one. 

Barcelona wantd a late penalty when Ferland Mendy clipped Martin Braithwaite with his arm but the appeal was optimistic. 

Casemiro was sent off in the 90th minute for a late challenge on Mingueza, that gave Messi a free-kick on the edge of the area but Courtois saved. 

With Ter Stegen up and almost the last kick of the game, Ilaix rattled the crossbar. Madrid survived.

MANCHESTER, UNITED KINGDOM — Manchester City suffered just a fourth Premier League defeat of the season as 10-man Leeds United shocked the runaway leaders thanks to Stuart Dallas’s double in a 2-1 win at the Etihad on Saturday.

Dallas opened the scoring three minutes before half-time, but hope of a famous win for Marcelo Bielsa’s men seemed to have disappeared when captain Liam Cooper was shown a straight red card in first-half stoppage time.

The visitors withstood a City bombardment until Ferran Torres equalised 14 minutes from time.

But Leeds still summoned the energy to pose a threat on the counter-attack and gained their reward when Dallas slotted below Ederson.

Bielsa’s first win in five meetings against Pep Guardiola propels Leeds up to ninth in their first season back in the English top flight for 16 years.

“The value of the victory increases because it was achieved in a game where we were dominated and demanded character, effort and personality,” said Bielsa, who Guardiola has hailed as one of the major influences on his glorious coaching career.

“From the adversity and effort of the players it was emotional for me. It was a rebellious team. They weren’t resigned to lose.”

Guardiola paid for heavily rotating his side with Wednesday’s Champions League quarter-final, second leg, against Borussia Dortmund clearly his priority.

Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan, Riyad Mahrez, Phil Foden and Ruben Dias, who were among the stars left on the bench with City holding a slender 2-1 lead to take to Germany in midweek.

“We did not control it. We did not create enough for the forwards,” said Guardiola, who surprisingly did not introduce De Bruyne as a substitute.

“We arrived in the final third and after that we could not create much. At the end [the Leeds goal] can happen because they have a team where the transitions are fantastic.”

City still enjoy a 14-point lead at the top of the Premier League and need just 11 points from their remaining six matches to guarantee a third title in four years.

But Manchester United could close the gap to eight points should the Red Devils win their two games in hand, the first of which is away to Tottenham on Sunday.

A two-minute silence was held before kick-off in honour of Prince Philip, who died aged 99 on Friday.

Sterling out of favour

Raheem Sterling’s presence in what was largely a second string side is a reflection of how the England international has fallen down the pecking order in the past few weeks.

Sterling did not even get on as a substitute in the first leg against Dortmund and did little to further his case for selection in midweek by slicing a great chance wide from Fernandinho’s cut-back.

Leeds had wasted a number of promising attacks with their final ball, but found the finishing touch when Patrick Bamford teed up Dallas to strike low in off the inside the post.

The visitors’ joy was short-lived. Just four minutes later they were a man down.

Cooper played the ball first before crashing into Gabriel Jesus, but referee Andre Marriner upgraded a yellow card shown to the Leeds’ captain to a red after reviewing the incident on the pitch-side screen.

City were camped inside the Leeds half for almost the entire second-half, but were largely reduced to long-range efforts as Illan Meslier saved from Oleksandr Zinchenko, Fernandinho and Joao Cancelo.

Torres finally made City’s dominance pay with a first-time finish after Fernandinho picked out Silva inside the area.

Yet, Leeds still went in search of a winner.

Raphinha outpaced Fernandinho, but was denied by a brilliant tackle by Brazilian compatriot Ederson.

Moments later, Leeds got their reward as Dallas galloped clear down the middle of a vacant City defence to slot home.

MUNICH, Germany — Kylian Mbappe insisted Paris Saint-Germain still have it all to do after he scored twice in a thrilling 3-2 win at holders Bayern Munich in Wednesday's Champions League quarter-final first leg.

Bayern had their 19-match unbeaten run in the Champions League ended in a repeat of last year's final, as the German giants suffered their first European defeat since March 2019.

PSG raced into a 2-0 lead after just 28 minutes behind closed doors at the Allianz Arena as Neymar created goals for Mbappe and Marquinhos.

Bayern, whose top scorer Robert Lewandowski is sidelined by a knee injury, drew level courtesy of headers by Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Thomas Mueller.

However, Mbappe showed his class with a superb second goal to give the visitors an advantage for the return leg in Paris.

"We used all our chances and had a bit of luck, but nothing has been decided," Mbappe told Sky, with the second leg to come in Paris on Tuesday.

PSG goalkeeper Keylor Navas played a key role with a string of saves as Bayern peppered his goal with 31 shots compared to the French club's six.

"We have to score a lot more goals," said Mueller. "If it had ended 5-3 or 6-3 for us, no one could have complained based on the chances."

Bayern coach Hansi Flick, who finished on the losing side for the first time in the Champions League, also rued the number of missed chances.

"With the chances we had, we could have got a good result despite conceding three goals," Flick said.

"We don't like to lose, but the way the team played was top."

This was a record 19th appearance in the Champions League quarter-finals for Bayern, but there was little for them to celebrate at the final whistle.

"Kylian Mbappe made the difference. It's a very positive result for us, but everything is still open," said PSG coach Maurico Pochettino.

Marquinhos scores and limps off

COVID-19 cast its shadow over both teams with Bayern winger Serge Gnabry, plus PSG pair Alessandro Florenzi and Marco Verratti quarantined after testing positive.

Heavy snow fell in the first half in Munich as the visitors put the heat on the holders.

The opening goal came after Neymar sprinted through a gaping hole in the defence and laid the ball off for Mbappe, whose shot flew into the net through Manuel Neuer's legs.

PSG forward Julian Draxler had a goal disallowed with Mbappe offside in the build-up as the visitors kept up the pressure.

Bayern midfielder Leon Goretzka powered a header into the feet of Navas just before the hosts fell two goals behind.

A clearance kick only got as far as Neymar, whose ball over the top found Marquinhos unmarked in the area to stroke his shot past Neuer, shortly before the PSG captain limped off injured.

Flick responded by bringing on Alphonso Davies to provide pace on the flanks and moved David Alaba into defensive midfield. 

The hosts pulled a goal back when Mueller's cross was headed past Navas by Choupo-Moting to make it 2-1 at half-time.

Neymar was denied by Neuer and Angel Di Maria had an effort cleared off the line, while Leroy Sane went close at the other end for Bayern as both teams had their chances after the break.

Bayern then equalised when Mueller nodded in a superb Joshua Kimmich free-kick on the hour.

However, the wintry night in Munich belonged to Mbappe, who showed his class by turning Bayern defender Jerome Boateng inside and out before driving his shot past Neuer with 22 minutes left.

Bayern went down fighting as Alaba and Mueller both fired agonisingly wide in the dying stages. 

In the days other match, a classy goal from Mason Mount on Wednesday helped Chelsea to a 2-0 first-leg win over Porto, whose wasteful finishing could have scuppered their hopes of springing another Champions League upset in the quarter-finals.

MADRID — Vinicius Junior scored twice as Real Madrid made Liverpool pay for more defensive errors on Tuesday, a 3-1 victory putting them in sight of the Champions League semifinals.

Vinicius and Marco Asensio both profited in the first half after darting behind Liverpool’s makeshift back-line before a simple move from a throw-in gave Vinicius a simple finish in the second.

Mohamed Salah’s strike shortly after the interval briefly made it a contest at Valdebebas, with an away goal certainly a significant consolation for Liverpool to take into the second leg at Anfield next week.

But without fans and with a miserable recent record at home, Jurgen Klopp will know his side have it all to do to avoid his team’s season becoming solely about scraping into the Premier League’s top four.

“We didn’t play well enough, that’s my first concern,” said Klopp. “We didn’t deserve to win tonight, but the good news is that there is another match.

“We are going to fight, 3-1 is not good, but we have a chance.”

Except for two spells after half-time and at the finish, when their opponents were holding on to what they had, Liverpool were overpowered by Real Madrid, whose only disappointment might be missing out on a clearer margin ahead of the return in eight days’ time.

Before then, they go up against Barcelona on Saturday and this result, their fifth consecutive victory, should be another huge boost to morale going into what will be a crucial fixture in La Liga’s title race.

“Nothing is close, nothing is won,” Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane said. “We are alive in two competitions and we will keep fighting. We will start the second leg like it’s 0-0 because it will be another very difficult game.”

Madrid were without Sergio Ramos, who throughout was bellowing at his team from the stands, while Raphael Varane testing positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday morning meant both sides were fielding patched-up back fours.

The last time these two clubs met, Ramos dislocated Salah’s shoulder and Madrid went on to win their 13th European Cup but Klopp insisted there was no desire for revenge in the minds of his players.

They could have done with some extra fire because Madrid were superior in the first half, more controlled in possession and more aggressive out of it. Liverpool seemed caught between trying to match Madrid’s intensity and slowing the game down to gain a foothold.

Kroos runs the show

In the end they did neither, as the openings came early. Luka Modric wanted a penalty afer being clipped just outside the box and Trent Alexander-Arnold was beaten too easily by Ferland Mendy, whose cross was headed just wide by Vinicius.

The excellent Toni Kroos was given space at the base of midfield to dictate the tempo and it was a pair of arrowed balls forward from the German that put Madrid in charge.

The first he fired between Alexander-Arnold and Nat Phillips for the scampering Vinicius, who did brilliantly to chest the ball beyond his opponents and shoot low into the Liverpool net.

Seven minutes later, Kroos did it again, this time with the aid of a badly misguided Alexander-Arnold header, locating Asensio, who lifted over Alisson Becker to leave himself with an open net.

A full stadium would have sent a surge of momentum through Madrid but there was still a simmering buzz, as their substitutes were cheering louder and the players pressed quicker and passed harder.

Liverpool were holding on for half-time but the raging Klopp could not wait, hauling off Naby Keita with three minutes left and sending on Thiago Alcantara in his place.

The break briefly had an effect, Liverpool pulling a goal back five minutes after as Georginio Wijnaldum tore forward and Diogo Jota’s shot deflected kindly into the path of Salah, who poked in off the crossbar.

For a while, the game was in the balance. Kroos shot over and Sadio Mane almost finished off a break down the left. Asensio should have finished for Madrid but opted to pass and it was blocked.

Yet, another Madrid chance was not far away, as Liverpool failed to react to a throw-in down the right and Modric was allowed to drift inside, teeing up Vinicius to sidefoot in a second.

Liverpool pushed for another away goal in the final minutes but Madrid were not troubled. It was Spanish cheers that could be heard when the whistle blew.

In the night’s other match Manchester City needed Phil Foden’s 90th minute winner to take a slender 2-1 lead from the first leg of their quarter-final tie against Borussia Dortmund.

AMMAN  — The third event on this year’s football calendar, the 69th Jordan Professional League (Pro League) kicks off on Thursday. 

Football, the most popular sport in the Kingdom, was certainly different in every aspect due to the COVID-19 pandemic last season. With no fans filling the stands, Wihdat took home their 17th title while Jazira finished runner-up, leaving Ramtha in third place. Salt took fourth spot place ahead of former champs Faisali who settled for fifth. Hussein were 6th followed by Ma’an, who were promoted last season. Aqaba, who joined the Pro League two years ago, held on to 8th ahead of one time champ Shabab Urdun. Sahab held on to 10th as Sarih, who were promoted last season, dropped back alongside veterans Ahli after a disappointing season. 

Last season, in addition to their 17th Pro League title, Wihdat won their 10th Jordan Football Association Shield (JFA) title. In other competitions, Faisali overcame Jazira to win their 17th Jordan Super Cup as the Jordan Cup was scrapped from the agenda for the first time since the competition kicked off in 1980.

The season started with a newcomer to the Pro League, relatively unknown Jalil, overcoming Wihdat to win the 34th JFA Shield — the first of the season competitions. 

This week, Wihdat came back to win their 14th Super Cup when they beat one time winners Jazira 2-0 in 38th Jordan Super Cup, the second title up for grabs in the 2021 football season.

The league is a different ballgame and financial strains will make it difficult for most teams with varying ambitions this year. Wihdat and Faisali will always be the favourites while Jazira have been close to the title for the past three seasons, but lost momentum during the final legs of the competition. The club has won the title four times, but have been unable to move past second spot.

Eight time league champ Ahli were relegated last decade, but came back to win the Jordan Cup in 2015 and played in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup, will be the veteran team missing this year as Jalil and Baqa’a join the 12-club Pro League this year.

The season will be interrupted by regional and international competitions as the national team will resume 2022 FIFA World Cup and 2023 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers set to be played in Kuwait June 7-15.

Regionally, the season will see Wihdat playing in the preliminary round of the Asian Champions League. They are scheduled to play in Group D against Saudi Arabia’s Nassr, Qatar’s Sadd, and a third qualifier from Iran or the UAE from April 14-29 in Saudi Arabia.

Faisali and Salt are set to play in the AFC Cup. In 2020, Faisali played alongside Jazira in the AFC Cup, which was later scrapped with the COVID-19 pandemic halting regional and international sporting agendas. 

Since the league kicked off in 1944 with only Faisali, Ahli, Urdun and Homenetmen competing, Faisali are 34-time record league champs, while Wihdat have won 17 times since they joined in 1980.

Although Faisali are the all-time record titleholders, Wihdat’s record is quite impressive. After four years in the Pro League they won their first title in 1980 and have gone on to win the majority of titles since then.

Wihdat’s Mahmoud Shilbaya is the league’s all time top scorer with 127 goals, while Faisali’s Jiryes Tadros comes second with 112 goals.

LONDON — Thomas Tuchel’s serene start as Chelsea manager came to a crashing halt as lowly West Bromwich Albion became the first visiting side to score five goals at Stamford Bridge in 10 years on Saturday.

Thiago Silva’s early red card played a large part in a shocking 5-2 defeat that ended Tuchel’s 14-match unbeaten run since replacing the sacked Frank Lampard in January.

The German coach now has to show he can deal with his first taste of adversity with the west London club.

“It’s a wake-up call. We will get the right response,” said Tuchel.

“It’s important we digest it. I did not see it coming, now we have to take our responsibilities — me included — and shake it off.

“We can’t, after 15 or 14 matches, lose our head. We can’t take away the trust that we have in these players.”

His call for calm fell on deaf ears among some of his squad with reports of a training ground clash on Sunday between Antonio Rudiger and Kepa Arrizabalaga.

A swift response is needed in Wednesday’s Champions League quarter-final first leg against Porto in the first of two clashes between the sides in Seville due to coronavirus restrictions on travel between Portugal and England.

Despite the Portuguese giants’ heroics in dumping out Juventus in the last 16, anything other than progression to Chelsea’s first Champions League semi-final since 2014 will be seen as a huge disappointment.

Misfiring Werner

An impressive run of results have covered over some of the cracks that led to Lampard’s departure and remain to be solved.

Hakim Ziyech, Timo Werner and Kai Havertz combined for the majority of a £220 million ($304 million) spending spree in the transfer market last summer, but all three are still to live up to their hefty price tags.

Tuchel has made the most of Chelsea’s strength in depth to consistently rotate, particularly in attacking areas.

But a lack of goals has been a persistent problem, with the Blues scoring just 13 times in their last 11 Premier League games.

Werner’s lack of form is a major factor.

The German international has scored just once in his last 18 games for club and country and his fragile confidence took another hit when his stunning miss helped North Macedonia claim a shock win in last week’s World Cup qualifier.

The time has come for Tuchel to make some big decisions if he is to go one better than last season when he guided Paris Saint-Germain to the Champions League final.

Not for the first time in his Chelsea career, Olivier Giroud may be brought in from the cold by a manager in need.

Giroud’s overhead kick was the difference in the first leg of Chelsea’s last 16 tie against Atletico Madrid, but the Frenchman has not played a minute of Premier League or Champions League action since February.

It is at the back Tuchel’s impact has been felt most, with a run of seven clean-sheets prior to Saturday’s collapse.

The use of a back three and Rudiger’s return, after he was frozen out by Lampard for most of the first half of the season, have made Chelsea far harder to break down.

Rudiger’s presence was badly missed as he was left out against West Brom to allow Silva to make his comeback after two months out with a hamstring injury.

The Brazilian’s return lasted just 29 minutes before his red card, and Tuchel is expected to restore Rudiger in place of the 36-year-old despite his bust up with Kepa.

Mason Mount and N’Golo Kante will also return as their importance was underlined when rested from the start at the weekend.

But that could leave space for just one of Werner, Havertz and Ziyech in attack.

Tuchel is spoiled for choice, but will be quickly judged on whether he makes the right calls.

LONDON — Mohamed Salah can silence the critics who question his loyalty to Liverpool by avenging the most painful moment of his career when the Egypt star faces Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals on Tuesday.

Salah sparked howls of indignation among Liverpool fans recently when he refused to rule out the possibility of playing for a Spanish club in the future.

The fact that Salah was speaking to Madrid-based newspaper Marca at the time only increased speculation that he was laying the groundwork for a move to Real Madrid.

“I hope to be able to play for many more years. Why not? No one knows what’s going to happen in the future, so maybe one day, yes. It’s not up to me,” Salah said when asked if he was keen to try Spanish football.

Salah’s flirtatious response was similar to the one he gave to another Spanish outlet in December when questioned about a potential La Liga move. 

“I think Madrid and Barcelona are two top clubs,” he told AS.

Whether either Real or Barcelona could afford to buy Salah amid the current financial difficulties caused by the coronavirus pandemic remains to be seen.

But for a club whose supporters pride themselves on their passionate and unflinching loyalty to the Liverpool cause, Salah’s refusal to rule out a switch to Spain was a careless own goal.

It tapped into the long-standing suspicion among a section of Liverpool’s fanbase that Salah, whose contract runs until 2023, is motivated by personal glory rather than team success.

The cynics support their claims by highlighting Salah’s occasional spats with Liverpool forward Sadio Mane when he shoots rather than passing to a better placed team-mate.

They also point to Salah’s sulky response to being substituted during the defeat against Chelsea in March, and his reported frustration at being ignored for the Liverpool captaincy in the absence of the injured Jordan Henderson.

Real revenge mission

Of course, Salah could rightly mention that Liverpool might well have failed to win either the Champions League in 2019 or the Premier League last season without his goals and sublime skills.

Even this season, with Liverpool in the midst of a failed title defence marred by seemingly endless injuries, Salah’s haul of 26 goals — including one in Saturday’s 3-0 win at Arsenal — shows what a threat he carries.

With 120 goals in 193 appearances in all competitions since joining from Roma in 2017, Salah is rightly ranked among Liverpool’s all-time greats.

But the 28-year-old’s place in the hearts of Kopites might not be so secure.

Michael Owen and Steve McManaman — both local heroes at Liverpool at the time — were never so fondly regarded after swapping Anfield for Real’s Bernabeu.

Inspiring Liverpool to a revenge victory against Real in a rematch of the 2018 Champions League final won by the Spanish club would go some way to appeasing the doubters.

That bitter 3-1 loss in Kiev remains a personal nadir for Salah, who was in tears on the pitch after being forced to come off with a first half injury following a clash with Sergio Ramos.

Salah had suffered a dislocated shoulder that would hamper him at the World Cup later that year, with some claiming Ramos had deliberately exacerbated the injury with the way he dragged the Egyptian to the turf.

“Let’s just say that I have special motivation to win the tie and go through to the semi-finals,” Salah told Marca about the Real reunion.

Ironically, Real captain Ramos is expected to miss both legs of the quarter-final with a calf injury.

Ramos’s absence is a major boost for Liverpool as they seek to salvage a miserable season by winning a seventh European Cup.

If Salah can play a leading role in making that dream come true, his commitment might not be questioned quite so often.